Before We Had Faces
by Sef Aksise
Summary: Behold, the 97th Hunger Games. An unrivalled form of entertainment, with the added effect of keeping districts in line. Kills two birds with one stone, right? There's a bird trapped under this stone that will fly, unifying and casting a spell of darkness over Panem. And these children will rise, reaching and stretching for a face they can claim as their own.
1. Chapter 1

**In a universe where Katniss never existed. . . .**

 **97th Hunger Games.**

 **-INTRODUCTION-**

Raan, District 3 Male,

A smell of rust enveloped the entire household. Raan was beginning to familiarise himself with the scent.

A line of twisted yellow lined the wall on the other side of his room - a paint drawn from the most vibrant hues of a decaying forest. It was a revolving line, no larger than a few inches in diameter, that had sketched images of birds and expanded wings. From the middle, a yellow tuft grew from the iron rivets underneath. A plant that lacked leaves, centered amongst a field of birds.

Above, there was a square crack in the ceiling. If he hadn't known better, Raan would have assumed it to be a loose tile, but instead it was a doorway to an unseen segment of the house. Here, the fifteen year old stored produce and precious items within tightly woven stick chests - objects he was sure that if a bird of prey were to latch eyes with, they would be promptly stolen and whisked away without a moment's glance.

Nothing seemed to entertain him. The same dull ceiling had grown a tiresome sight, and the sky outside had always looked the same - dull, gray and lonesome, like a recollection of human's emotions. Beyond that, the stars never seemed to shine with the same light they used to. Fragments, memories, strewn apart and left to scatter an ever-changing canvas that was the night's sky.

Raan sat up, slipped his feet from dyed green covers and decided that the world around him had turned to a boredom unmatched by no other. He fetched a bag from the crooked holder that his father had placed up when he was smaller in an attempt to organise, and left towards the sky on the other end of the hallway.

District three, producer of the Capitol's technology. A fairly poor district. Rebellious, supervised by peacekeepers as if they were untrustworthy with the instruments they wielded. Raan had decided since he was younger; he'd follow his father's path, become an engineer. Bust his butt off for the people who took everything for granted, never thanking. Raan hated it. And most of all, he hated his people.

What was the point of being rebellious if it never got you anywhere? Were you just going to forget everything you all worked hard to achieve, ignore what you accomplished and bend over in submission despite everything you have done? Not worth the risk, you say?

What greater risk was there than being forced to live life as a caged bird?

 ***shrugs* I'm completely and utterly blanking for a first chapter. But oh well, I guess it's just an introduction. After all, I'm not a writer who writes in small quantities. 400 words? That's pretty bad for me, considering I average 10k-14k words per chapter.**

 **Argh. . . I have a headache and my father won't stop godamn singing so I can't concentrate. I just want to get submissions out of the way so I can start forming an actual plot. Mind this chapter length, I try.**

 **Anyhow! Form's on my profile if you would like to enter. I'm semi-cowriting this story, so I can manage quite a few OCs.**

 **-Slots-**

 **District 1 Male - Gerwen-whatever-his-name-is (Taka)**

 **Distract 1 Female - Jinx Scheibel (CelticGames4)**

 **District 2 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 2 Female - N/A**

 **District 3 Male - Raan (C00XC01)**

 **Distract 3 Female - N/A**

 **District 4 Male - Isaac di Acroina (C00XC01)**

 **Distract 4 Female - Varina Carlyle (Irew2376)**

 **District 5 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 5 Female - N/A**

 **District 6 Male - Syd Dashium (PerfectBliss)**

 **Distract 6 Female - N/A**

 **District 7 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 7 Female - Iris Wither (AngelOfDarkness21)**

 **District 8 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 8 Female - N/A**

 **District 9 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 9 Female - Dinah Wilterwall (erburnham02)**

 **District 10 Male - Jedric 'Ricky' Bronco (MidnightRaven323)**

 **Distract 10 Female - N/A**

 **District 11 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 11 Female - N/A**

 **District 12 Male - N/A**

 **Distract 12 Female - N/A**


	2. Chapter 2

**Raan, District 3 Male,**

The day hadn't lasted long. Hidden beneath canopies of cloud, it had been difficult to tell when sunset fell. Though, vaster than any clouded sky, was the canopy of the forest. Silence wasn't a word here, though it was quieter than any city laid by man.

Throughout the boughs, filtered rays of sullen light drew a line straight through, clusters of leaves casting shadows among the dirt as if to paint their own landscape. Presently, Raan came to an earthed dome, proceeded by a slope to a river valley below, a place where the forest only grew thicker.

The boy held his backpack close to him, ladened with a spear and an axe to either side. Alongside his preparation for engineering, Raan made his money by being artist. He gathered materials from nature - pigments, binders and emulsifiers alike - and produced a variety of paints from methods his sister taught him when he was eight. Marigolds came with a bright yellow hue, blueberries with a dreary navy and red berries and flowers a crimson. With the primary colours, a selection of secondary could be made and, from that, artwork could be created. Lining the streets and the walls was designs of colour and vibrancy, and it was all the children's doing. A business formed by making a derelict place more cheerful. In the district, there was nothing else like it, since working in factories at a young age was prohibited by the adults and, probably deciding that it was not a good idea to ensue the technology district's wrath further, peacekeepers never protested.

All among the branches sang birds of blue and yellow. Freedom, Raan knew. After all, he had adopted it as his personal symbol a long time ago. Like a dove represented peace, any winged bird had the ability to roam the skyline without chains.

Beautiful.

Up ahead, a tree tangled amongst the thickets. Boxelder, one of the only trees Raan knew the name of, and that was only because adults knew. Nonetheless, it was a fairly common tree in district three, found growing alongside urban roadsides and other such areas, making the technology district a prime location. It was a tree that produced sap. Raan had carved a hole in it the last time and left a mark with the yellow paint he always carried, prominent amongst the greenery. The iron bucket he placed was still there, under this streaming hole, half filled. He knelt, collected it and rose.

Berries were everywhere, so that was easy. The river water in the valley was easily accessible, too. Soon, Raan had accumulated all necessary ingredients, and from this came shades of the brightest red to the deepest purple.

Raan had all he came for, but something about the forest enticed him further. A distant howling amongst the leaves, far different to the wind yet strikingly similar.

Only a hundred meters from where he stood was the district fence. The howling continued past this point, he was sure of it. So he picked up a pace akin to a running animal, stumbling every time a rocky surface came into contact with his heels. Yet he quickly regained balance and continued to sprint, past the river and up the valley slope, to a chain linked fence hidden amongst the trees.

And it was here that, for the very first time, Raan locked gazes with someone outside of his district.

He was a sickly sight, with a skin paler than the off-white paints Raan produced. The most noticeable features about him was that his cheeks were flushed red, eyes dampened to a tortured crimson and the blonde hair that curled his face was smoother than the normal straw-like texture in the area. District four bordered district three, Raan knew. So, naturally, he assumed this boy to be of that district. A career, then.

'Take your time,' Raan began. 'You're only from a career district. I'm sure you guys get treated like you're everything in the world.'

The boy behind him shuffled behind the fencepost, partially out of sight. It took a few seconds, but eventually he spoke.

'. . . You know nothing, nothing at all.'

 **There's a reason why I'm making the chapter's short. It's because no OCs have appeared yet, and why would I write eight pages on my own?**

 **Screw it, IDA is officially making an appearance in this SYOC. I decided that there's this moment that I cannot miss, so I hereby submit two characters for this reason. Yes, that's another note. You can submit up to two characters.**

 **Welcome aboard, lil' cutie.**

 **I'll start making the OCs show up when a district fills up. I'd rather do it like that. Or maybe I'll start it once the spaces fill up, who knows.**

 **I'll accept you all in a moment. Yes, I accept everyone. Interest basis, remember? I'll kill those who I don't like.**

 **Oh well, here's the main part of this author's note -**

 **So, I might as well say now that I'm receiving a bunch of small personalities. That's great in a small quantity, as it gives me characters to kill off early, but not in large quantities. I did say this was interest based, and we do have a second arc planned after HG, which only the characters that I can and like writing will be progressing onto it. I've said this in the rules - if you want your character to stay alive, make them interesting. I'll just kill them off early otherwise. Seriously. Below is IDA's full personality, if anyone needs an example. Actually, not to overload you, but this is the level of detail I like to see.**

 **Character - Isaac di Acroina, Champagne:**

 **Despite his age, Champagne is an individual that is wholly extroverted, leading and taking part in group activities and even going as far as being the one to arrange them in place of others. The local call-boy for hosting meet-ups and parties, as others would have you say. Champagne is wildly sociable, and often reaches compromises and plans that the majority can agree with. However, this can come with a reliance of social behaviour. If ignored or mocked by even one person, Champagne can immediately feel like an outcast, and reevaluate his skills and promptly remove himself from a scenario where he doesn't feel comfortable. Quick to jump to conclusions, Champagne is also quick to brand someone as an 'ex-friend' in circumstances like this.**

 **Another part of him is that he constantly feels the need to be at the top his game. If someone holds an attribute that's better than what he can muster, the kid is quick to fall into envy, refusing to talk to someone if they fare better in abilities, power or another aspect of life than he does, judging them with the recurring thought 'I could do so much better than them if I were in their position'. He can also be quite rude and abrupt to those who question his authority, and he continuously doubts his achievements and capabilities, continuously wanting more than what he has. And, although these thoughts are often restrained to his mentality, sometimes they do take shape in physical form, occasionally tending to hit people with the meagre strength he has if he grows angry with them and, though usually these are brushed off as nothing, sometimes they do degenerate into physical violence. Because of this, brushes and scratches are nothing new to him, and sometimes he even goes as far to encourage fights between two opposing parties.**

 **Champagne himself can be very sensitive and, although this can be good with helping others with their emotions, this often leads to him being very clingy. Fearing for his social status and the way he is perceived by others, his actions can also be very bendable, influenced by those he stays around, following them and doing what they wish in order to please them.**

 **Fighting people himself isn't part of his life, and often he prefers to stay out of conflict, but he's quick to bring popcorn and watch disputes happen between two or more people. As an instigator, Champagne can often go too far in search for entertainment, causing unnecessary conflicts to happen which otherwise could have been avoided. After all, if people aren't in his immediate friend group, what more should he care?**

 **Emotional situations on the other hand call for his direct attention, and he often feels the need to comfort people if they're broken. Usually he knows how to do this, and can voice words and phrases that uplift people's spirits and demonstrate their good points easily. However, if no thank you or at least 'staying around me' is received, Champagne is quick to think that he has been used and thrown away without a second glance.**

 **In more combat-orientated scenarios, Champagne is never the one to rush headfirst into a battle, preferring to stay behind and evaluate a situation before even attempting to make a move. After all, in his words, 'why rush in if there's no guarantee you'll come back out alive?'**


	3. I'm NOT discontinuing, okay?

**Eh.**

 **No, I am not discontinuing this SYOC.**

 **The reason I haven't updated in a while is because I have been doing Camp NaNoWriMo for the past two months. March for planning, April for the actual Camp NaNo.**

 **Right now my book tolls at 74k and should be finished fairly soon.**

 **If I finish before I reach my word goal, which is 45k (I have 31.5k written as of this month's Camp NaNo), I'll spend the rest of my goal writing this story so I can reach the 45k like I'm supposed to.**

 **And yeah, I realise that sometimes SYOC hosts go off for a while and then use an untrue and lame excuse to justify their vacancy. I've seen through many myself. For those who don't believe me, I'll justify it. It's All Ends With Black by C00XC01 over on Wattpad. But eh, hopefully you believe me anyway.**

 **So, if I do end my story early and have to write this story to reach my word goal, expect an update on May 1st. If not, expect it a week later.**

 ***waves goodbye***

 **Freaking Camp NaNo, man. . . .**

 **I wonder how many of you are still around. . . .**


End file.
